The first half of this book details her childhood, seemingly normal, with details about church and family and camping trips. Her childhood seemed fairly normal like an average daughter in middle America. The difference, however, is that while she was growing up enjoying this typical childhood, her father was committing gruesome murders along the way.
The second half of the novel lends itself to be more like the title. It deals with the news that her father has been arrested as the BTK serial killer, and the fall out from that shocking discovery. Even though Kerri was born and raised in Kansas, she really did not know very much about BTK until after her father’s arrest. Her life dramatically changed on the day he was arrested. And the fact that her DNA was used to determine his guilt was an even bigger layer of guilt thrown upon her. I honestly did not know much about the details of the BTK crimes until I read this book. My quick google search provided terrifying information so I stopped after just a couple of stories. The horrific extent of these crimes would be impossible to reconcile with a loved one as the killer. Not sure how Kerri was able to eventually move on with her life as she described in the book. Kudos to her for her therapy and her ability to process and eventually move on with her life. If you are a true crime reader, this book is for you. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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The Farm by Joanne Ramos is a debut novel which takes us to a medical spa of sorts for women who are serving as paid and professional surrogates for the wealthiest of the wealthy. The surrogate moms are referred to as Hosts and they are treated with the ideal environment in which to grow a baby…except they are not allowed to communicate with the outside world while they are there – their only job is to grow and nurture the perfect fetus.
This glance into a lucrative surrogate facility is supposed to be completely fictional…but It lends itself to the question if such places don’t already exist? The plot is centered around an immigrant surrogate, Jane, who enrolled to be a host because of the large sums of money promised after she delivers a healthy baby, which is a motivator for most hosts in the program – a chance to change their circumstances and future options. However, Jane already has an infant daughter and must bid farewell to her for 9 months while she is enrolled in the program. Jane is eager to serve and she has agreed to fulfill her part of the agreement (under binding legal contracts with bonuses and incentives), but when he maternal instincts kick in on her baby back at home, the plot really deepens and we begin to examine whether or not this maternal wellness spa is such a great idea after all… I enjoyed The Farm, and will definitely give it 4 Stars on Goodreads. I think my local Book Club Moms book club would enjoy this for a future title to discuss. Lots of issues to unpack in this book…the wealthiest 1%, the surrogates looking for a chance to change their station in life, the potential profitability of incubating children for money en masse, and more. Thank you to NetGalley! I received an advanced copy of The Farm in exchange for my honest review. #bibliofile #bookshivers #bookshark #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thefarm #netgalley In lieu of Mother's Day, I began to ponder what books I have read that might stand out to me to serve as a tribute to Moms or as a standout for #momsinliterature
Although it seems that many books I read have a mom-centric controversy in the main character's life (mom died young, mom left, mom abuse, mom was abused), I ended up choosing two books that in my reading memory, stood out against the test of time as a tribute to mom. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah seems like a love letter to his mom and for all of the things she sacrificed and endured in apartheid stricken South Africa, all with the goal of helping propel Noah towards a bright future. I adored this book and highly recommend its audiobook. It has been optioned as a movie and I will definitely be in the theater when it is released. My other selection is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Henrietta was a young working mother diagnosed with cervical cancer and was fighting for her life at age 31 when the cancer took over her body. Because of her race she did not have the same cancer treatment options as white patients, and her outcome was more fatal. Her cells were the first ones to be discovered in a lab that would continue to reproduce and multiple, and they still are used (today in 2019). The book chronicles the science and labs and processes in which her cells have lived, the legacy of HeLa cells, and the struggles her children have had to endure...which was not diminished when they found out that their mothers cells were still in use in hospitals and labs 50 decades later. I hope all of the mothers out there took the day of Instagram and were able to do what they enjoy most - spending time with people that bring you joy and or the books that bring you joy! Happy Mother's Day! #bibliophile #momsinliterature OK - Clearly the WHEELS ARE FALLING OFF! Springtime is a busy time with 4 kids in various schools and while I am being very diligent on Instagram, this particular blog is losing my attention. I promise to do better!
April Reading Round Up! A month full of #SpringReads made for an amazing April of reading! Did we read anything in common?? Maid by Stephanie Land ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Evidence of the Affair by Tara Jenkins Reid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bad Blood: Secrets & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Circe by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Off the Record by Taylor Danae Colbert ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Lost Man by Jane Harper ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
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